Meet the new character who will partner with Lightning McQueen in Cars 3

The Cars franchise has inspired a sequel, a spinoff, and a whole land dedicated to this world of anthropomorphic vehicles – and now, it’s about to produce one more story.

Cars 3, officially slated to release on June 16, 2017, will be about Lightning McQueen as he begins to move past his prime and into veteran status as a racer. “Think of where he’d be in his career now in real time,” says director Brian Fee. “(McQueen) is not an old man, but he’s one of the older cars on the circuit with new rookies coming in. People start to wonder and ask when he might retire.”

The movie will introduce new characters, including Jackson Storm, a rookie who challenges Lighting McQueen, and Cruz Ramirez, a Hispanic female race car who teaches McQueen to continue racing.

Of course classic characters, like Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), McQueen’s girlfriend Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt) and auto-body shop owner Ramone (Cheech Marin) will also be returning to this story.

“This movie is a love letter to racing and the American way,” says Fee, “we’re inspired by the Americana you see traveling through the South where every small town has a dirt track.”

Cars 3 will hopefully inspire more love than its predecessor. Cars 2 has received mixed reviews, though Cars Land proves to be a popular space for DCA tourists and regulars alike and continues to be updated with the latest technology. Little else has been said about how this new film will complete the Cars trilogy, but one thing’s for sure – life may be a bumpy highway for this final Cars installation.

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